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Melissa conviction to stop virus writers?
From: mea culpa <jericho () DIMENSIONAL COM>
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 06:11:42 -0700
http://www.zdnn.com/a/zdnn121099/2406928/ Melissa conviction to stop virus writers? Computer security specialists say the potential stiff penalties meted out to the Melissa creator will cause other virus writers to think thrice before unleashing their wares. By Robert Lemos, ZDNet News UPDATED December 10, 1999 7:30 AM PT [INLINE] REUTERS: David Smith story Law enforcement officials and computer security specialists say that David L. Smith's conviction in the Melissa virus case -- the first successful prosecution of a virus writer in the United States -- will have a strong chilling effect on other authors of malicious code. "We are hoping that the sentence has a significant deterrent impact," said Robert J. Cleary, the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, who led the federal prosecution. "I think this will have the effect we want. Those predisposed to white-collar crimes really do balance risk versus reward." Smith, 31, pleaded guilty in both state and federal courts on Thursday, agreeing that the virus he wrote and released -- named "Melissa" after a Florida stripper -- caused $80 million in damages (the minimum monetary amount needed in order to trigger stiffer federal sentencing guidelines). [snip...] ISN is sponsored by Security-Focus.COM
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